The present invention relates to an apparatus to better control the popping of popcorn in hot air poppers such as Presto, Orville Redenbacher, Conair, Great Northern and many other hot air popcorn poppers as well.
Hot air popcorn poppers have a basic structure of a chamber built in at the top center of the unit. This chamber is about three inches round in diameter and about five inches deep. At the very bottom of the chamber, extremely hot air is blown in and upward to pop/explode the popcorn kernels that have been poured into the popcorn popper chamber for popping. The fast moving hot air also moves the popped popcorn to the awaiting bowl.
Within the chamber it is very turbulent. Hot air is being blown in from the bottom and the popcorn starts to pop/explode. With the large opening at the top of the chamber (over 7 square inches), there is nothing to control the popcorn activity excepting for the popcorn to the bowl guidance shield that has a front opening that is over 15 square inches. The popped popcorn starts to come out hopefully into the awaiting bowl. With a combination of the fast moving hot air and the sparse just starting to pop/explode popcorn kernels, sometimes individual popped and not popped kernels are blown out of the popper on to the floor and counters. The kernels are very hot and dangerous.